Riddle
by mizstonez
Summary: Someone's playing a game with Neil. Can you solve the riddle and find Peter?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own characters/show/nor anything to do with the show, but enjoy watching it on t.v. like everyone else. The creative story is my own, not based on any episodes. Enjoy and let me know what you think so far. Anybody like riddles? I'll have more a.s.a.p.

Night. Peter stopped at Neil's desk on his way out.

**Peter**: Come on, we can continue in the morning. I'll give you a lift.

**Neil**: Thought I'd stay a little while-

**Peter**: It's 10 p.m., get your coat.

**Neil**: Okay, I'll get my coat.

Stretching as he stood.

Peter dropped him off and pulled away as Neil quietly headed inside. Upstairs, he quietly closed the door, tossed his jacket on the arm of the couch, and flopped on the couch too tired to make it to his bed only a few feet away. As the sun rose in the morning, Neil stretched his arms, his body stiff from the couch, and stood. He took a shower and went to the balcony watching the colors of sunrise light the city. As he turned to walk away, he kicked something. He saw a piece of paper folded in half and picked it up. He looked at the lock on the balcony door, but saw it was still locked. He tried to open it, but the lock worked. He opened the note and saw one and a half words, the other torn in half, the words encrypted. He got his cell as he got his jacket off the arm of the couch.

**Moz**: (on phone) Hello?

Sounding like Neil woke him.

**Neil**: You leave me a riddle on my balcony?

**Moz**: (on phone) Does it look like I'd climb June's building to give you a riddle?

**Neil**: Worth asking.

**Moz**: (on phone) Keep me posted. I like riddles.

Then hung up.

Neil headed downstairs and into the kitchen to see June pouring two cups of coffee.

**June**: Just in time for a cup of coffee.

**Neil**: Just enough time for a cup.

He smiled as she handed him a cup.

**June**: No time for breakfast?

**Neil**: I'm buying Peter breakfast this morning.

He assured.

**June**: Well, make sure you eat. No need for you to starve to catch the bad guy.

**Neil**: Thanks for the coffee.

Kissing her on the cheek, then went out the front door, but didn't see Peter's car.

Confused, Neil walked to the precinct and saw Peter's desk empty.

**Neil**: Jones, you seen Peter?

**Jones**: Not since I left last night. Why?

**Neil**: I thought he was going to pick me up this morning.

**Jones**: Maybe he stayed home last night.

**Neil**: He took me home last night saying he was headed home, too.

**Jones**: You call Elizabeth?

**Neil**: Not yet.

Dialing on his cell.

Elizabeth was in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee.

**Elizabeth**: Hey, Neil. How are you?

**Neil**: Good. Say, did Peter come home last night? Say after 10 p.m.?

**Elizabeth**: If he did, he probably slept on the couch.

She looked out the kitchen window.

**Elizabeth**: I don't see his car. Is he at the office?

**Neil**: I'll have him call you when I see him.

Then hung up.

**Neil**: Could you find Peter's car?

**Jones**: Peter didn't go home last night?

**Neil**: She didn't see him.

Jones and Neil went to Jones' computer.

**Jones**: You say you both left after ten, right?

**Neil**: Yeah, he dropped me off first.

**Jones**: Here we go. His car's in the parking garage.

They headed down and found Peter's car, but he wasn't inside. Neil called Peter's cell and heard it ring on the dashboard.

**Neil**: Something's wrong.

**Jones**: Doesn't look damaged, car's locked.

As Neil hung up.

**Neil**: Then where is he?

Peter's cell rang again, the caller Elizabeth. Neil's eyes widened.

**Jones**: What?

**Neil**: The second half of the riddle.

Seeing a half torn paper identical to the one he found just under Peter's cell.


	2. Chapter 2

Peter woke, his head spinning, a gash on his forehead. He saw he was in the back seat of a car, his hands cuffed behind him. He looked out the window and saw other crushed cars a short distance away, then heard a loud hiss sound. Suddenly, the roof of the car began to compress.

**Peter**: Heph! Heph!

His words muffled through a cloth gag wrapped around his head, the knot in his mouth he lay on his back watching the roof come down as he tried to kick the door open. He ducked into the foot area and saw the roof stop on the flat part of the seats, then heard a loud hiss again, but the roof stayed put. Hearing beeping, two fork lift tongs stabbed the sides of the car impacting through the driver door and the passenger seat cutting along Peter's right thigh, the car being lifted and moved. From a crack, he watched the car moved to a nearby stack of cars and placed on a second car. He watched as the forklift operator moved away, parked the machine, then walked out the main gate. He had little space to maneuver in, but he was willing to try to get his hands up front, wishing he was as flexible as Neal.

At the office, Neal paced the office as Moz, Jones, and the team looked at the riddle enlarged on a corkboard.

**Jones**: Have you decoded the message?

**Neal**: Yeah, but it doesn't make sense: 'inside the car'. Peter's car was in the parking lot. Has forensics found anything?

**Jones**: Some dirt in the back seat on the floor. They'll call me when they know more.

Moz: Maybe they're referring to where he could be found. Obviously, we won't find him in _his _car, but a different car.

**Jones**: Surveillance has him entering the parking garage around 11:30 p.m. A truck blocks the view of his car from camera long enough to-

**Neal**: Grab him and go.

Watching the surveillance on the plasma.

**Jones**: Must've had someone on the other side of the car. Still trying to find out which car.

**Neal**: Go back to a half an hour before Peter arrived.

**Jones**: Sure. What are you thinking?

Moz eyed Neal.

**Moz**: You've seen this before.

**Neal**: Long story short, yeah. Like a bird circling their prey they get Peter to drive here, then take him.

**Moz**: Why Peter? Why the riddle?

**Neal**: Anytime, anyone, anywhere.

**Jones**: What's that mean?

**Neal**: Someone told me that.

Flashback.

_Two weeks earlier._

_Neal in an alley, a man on the rooftop._

_**Vick**__: One more step and your baby monitor goes off._

_**Neal**__: I made sure they didn't catch you._

_**Vick**__: Yeah? Then why's my face all over town as 'a person of interest in a museum theft'?_

_**Neal**__: You're still free-_

_**Vick**__: Lost my contacts because of you. Now you will, too. Anytime, anyone, anywhere._

_**Neal**__: I didn't murder anyone, you won't either._

_**Vick**__: Depends if you find them in time. I'll simply hide 'em._

Present.

**Jones**: We're not mind readers, Neal.

Neal turned to them.

**Neal**: I need to talk to Vick Aders.

**Jones**: Who's that?

**Neal**: Someone trying to play mind games with me.

In an interrogation room, Vick smiled watching Neal and Jones walk in.

**Neal**: Didn't think you'd stoop so low.

**Vick**: Yeah? How low?

**Neal**: You know what I'm talking about.

**Vick**: No, I don't.

**Neal**: End this now and tell us where he is.

**Vick**: Who?

Neal eyed him a long moment.

**Neal**: I get it. You hired someone who hired someone so it wouldn't be linked to you. Guess what? You're not as clever as you think.

Then stood and headed for the door.

**Vick**: You've got something of mine.

**Neal**: And you've got someone of mine.

**Vick**: A trade perhaps?

**Jones**: I thought you didn't know what he was talking about.

**Vick**: Well, if I did know what he was talking about, I'd like something in exchange for my…services.

**Neal**: The only services you're going to get is jail time and possible prison time if he turns up dead.

**Vick**: How could I go to jail or prison when I haven't done anything wrong? As I recall, you've got my company for twenty four hours. After that-

Neal stepped out slamming the door as Vick smiled slyly.

Neal went in the break room and paced quickly when a familiar voice stopped him, his eyes wide looking to her.

**Elizabeth**: Tell me everything you know about Peter so far.


	3. Chapter 3

Peter knew he had to stop the bleeding, but he couldn't do anything with his hands cuffed behind his back. He saw his pants soaked in blood, more coming out with each pump of his heart. Hoping the forklift tong didn't pierce a major vein, Peter struggled to get the cuffs around his rear, the cold metal pushing onto his skin, stinging pain indicating he was in fact cutting his skin as he attempted to get as flexible as he had ever been in his life. He knew he had two choices: not give up and fight his way out of the metal car, or tay quiet and bleed hoping Neal and his team find him in time. The cuffs grinded against his back past his lower back and tailbone only to get stuck halfway around his rear, his shoulders feeling like they were on the verge of dislocating. Using the door as leverage, Peter moved closer, his feet against the door to curl up as small as he could. As he did, his hands quickly slipped to behind his knees. A small achievement, Peter continued putting his hands past his knees trying to catch the cuffs with his foot so he could push them under his feet. Even though the car was as tight as a sardine can, small gaps in the broken windows allowed sunlight and heat. Peter could already feel sweat trickling down the back of his neck. His feet finally shoved the cuffs past the toe of his shoes, his arms automatically leading his hands to his chest. He pulled the gag off his mouth and began untying the knot. His hands sweaty, it seemed too long, then was able to tie the cloth around his thigh. Looking at the small gap he saw the fork lift operator leave, he saw only a still scrap metal yard. He maneuvered to another gap in the right passenger window and saw the same thing: cars in various places either half torn apart or more crunched than the car he was in. What scared him most was the silence. No beeping of forklifts, no loud crunch machines, no traffic.

**Peter**: Hello? Anybody! Can anyone hear me?

His voice crackling as he spoke, yet he heard it travel through the yard.

**Peter**: Anybody!

Neal eyed Elizabeth a long moment. He had just blurted out every detail he knew.

**Elizabeth**: So, you have nothing so far but a riddle and some guy who's teasing you about theories?

**Neal**: Basically, yeah.

**Elizabeth**: Let me talk to him, he messed with Peter-

**Neal**: Not a good idea if he's the same guy who made Peter disappear-

Jones stepped in.

**Jones**: Moz says he has something.

Elizabeth and Neal quickly followed Jones back to the conference room.

**Moz**: Riddle me this, riddle me that.

As he scrawled on a dry erase board.

**Elizabeth**: We don't have time for games.

**Moz**: Ah, but that's what they're trying to do.

**Neal**: Start making sense, Moz.

**Moz**: Clues within clues. Like those 3D posters where you focus and then not focus-

**Elizabeth**: Moz, please.

**Moz**: Clue one: 'Inside the car'. In that clue was another clue: 'out of time'.

Elizabeth clenched Neal's hand so fast and so hard her nails dug into his skin, his hand tingling.

**Neal**: Elizabeth, my hand-

**Moz**: Which made me think old cars, or retired places, or closed shops-

**Neal/Elizabeth**: Moz!

**Moz**: Where would you find a car inside that's out of time?

**Jones**: Antique car dealerships.

**Moz**: Close, but I was thinking more of tow yards.

**Neal**: There's got to be at least thirty tow yards.

**Moz**: Thirty eight.

**Jones**: How are we gonna be able to check all those?

**Moz**: A few of my resources got in contact with their resources and have narrowed the search to fifteen.

Elizabeth's fingernails began to draw blood.

**Neal**: Elizabeth, my hand-

**Elizabeth**: Isn't there surveillance cameras or logs people have to check in at when bringing cars in?

**Neal**: Elizabeth!

She looked to him.

**Neal**: Could you please let go of my hand?

Elizabeth saw her knuckles white, small trickles of blood coming from underneath her nails, then quickly let go.

**Elizabeth**: Sorry.

Jones and her left as Moz walked up to Neal.

**Moz**: Some grip.

**Neal**: What made you think tow yards?

Rubbing his hands.

**Moz**: I'm a genius, remember?

Jones returned.

**Jones**: Anders wanted to see you. Said it was important.

As Elizabeth walked in.

**Elizabeth**: I'll stay here with Moz.

Neal smiled feeling slightly victorious of Moz thinking about side the box following Jones to see Vick.

**Neal**: I don't have anything to say to you-

**Vick**: You never did ask what I wanted.

**Neal**: Doesn't matter now-

**Vick**: It just may. Since you're sure I'm behind this somehow, let's go hypothetically and ask this: if I were behind this, why would I hide your friend in the city? That would be too easy, right? By now you may have already found him.

He checked his watch.

**Vick**: I'm still 'visiting' for twenty two hours. He looked to Neal.

**Vick**: Unless you haven't found him yet. The quicker you bring my item the sooner I can help.

**Neal**: We don't need your help.

**Vick**: You sure? By your expression, he's still missing and you're running out of time.

He smiled slyly.

**Neal**: What is it I have of yours exactly?

**Vick**: Vander's pocket watch. Thought it would make a good birthday present for a friend.


	4. Chapter 4

Peter patted his pockets, but found out his cell phone was missing. If the car hadn't been so squished, he would have honked the horn, if it were still working. There was a gap between the two seats leading to the horn. He pushed the center of the horn and heard a faint honk sound. His arm didn't seem long enough to push harder, so he yanked at the driver seat until it lay flat, then used his good leg and kicked as hard as he could. To his disappointment, the horn didn't work.

**Peter**: What else could go wrong?

Unfortunately, it got worse. Thunder rumbled in the sky, then rain began to beat down. Seeing all the windows were smashed, Peter thought he wasn't going to get drenched, but then realized that the car began to fill with water. Eager to get out, he used both legs and arms to beat down the driver door.

**Peter**: Come on, come on!

Feeling a jolt of pain with each kick, feeling hot blood spreading across his pant leg with each kick, he got more mad eager to get out, to catch the guy behind his abduction, to see Elizabeth again. His good leg slipped in the gap where the window used to be, shards of glass carving into his skin pushing his pant leg up as it scraped up to his knee, Peter screaming in pain, rain pounding on his freshly exposed flesh. Furious and scared, Peter quickly yanked his leg back in causing more gashes. He used part of his shirt to tie around his new wounds, then rammed the door furiously bruising his shoulder with each hit. Slowly, the door began to open little by little with each hit. Suddenly, the door flew open sending Peter tumbling out head first.

Neal marched out followed by Jones. Neal went in the elevator and closed the doors before Jones could get in. Jones saw the elevator heading downstairs. Neal punched the wall of the elevator with his cut up hand several times, then rushed out of the elevator as Jones jogged after him.

**Jones**: Neal!

Neal kicked a trash can over sending it to h it a dumpster a few feet away. Jones got a hold of Neal's shoulders.

**Jones**: Talk to me!

**Neal**: He's behind this! He wants to see me squirm! I had to get out of there before I punched him!

**Jones**: I've never seen you violent.

Letting go.

**Jones**: So we keep playing along and find the watch and use it as leverage.

**Neal**: That's just it! He has the watch!

**Jones**: Do I want to know how you're sure?**Neal**: Six years ago I saw him steal it. I was his look-out. I made the cops chase me. This is the first time I've seen him since.

Running a hand through his hair.

**Jones**: Maybe someone stole it from him.

**Neal**: Not likely. It's worth 3 million dollars.

**Jones**: How long would it take to make a fake?

Neal eyed him a moment.

**Neal**: Are you asking me to-

**Jones**: General question.

**Neal**: Some supplies, quiet area, and a few hours.

**Jones**: I'll let him know you're finding it.

**Neal**: Has he made any calls since he got here?

**Jones**: I'll check it out.


End file.
